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The Blue Soldier; Falco Guide
Topic Started: Jun 5 2007, 11:06 AM (347 Views)
illboyzeus
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1.Overview

As everyone knows, Falco is a killer of souls. Used correctly he is very difficult to counter and by the time you figure him out it's much to late. From his combos, to his speed and godly projectile, he is a force in melee. Though pioneered by bombsoldier, falco has gone through many evolutions since then and become even more dangerous. In here I will share my techniques, strats and combos for any who wishes to use them.

2.Disclaimer

Falco requires good tech skill to use effectively, your tech should be at a decent level when attempting to seriously pick up Falco. This guide is for someone who is versed in the world and smash and has a decent grasp of game and of how to fight opponents, but still need a bit of help to get over the hump. Therefore I will not be explaining what a short hop, percents or anything like that.

3.Normal moves

Jab-the normal attack for falco, it is cancelable and a good wake up attack. I don't use this move much but I should. A jab usually makes the opponent react by shielding, so if they do a grab is easy to land. If you cancel fast enough it is very hard to counter. Also if they are above you after a dair or something a jab will set them up perfectly for a D-Smash.

F-tilt- a good poke that has almost no lag when used at the apex of it's range. good as a wakeup attack when it is not expected but falco can be doing better things than this. If you hit them with a laser then go into this it will land, and at high % take them off the stage setting up for an edgegaurd. I don't use this much either, but it has potential.

D-tilt- A surprisingly good move when used correctly. The trick of this move is that is unexpected, and comes out fast. Also against fast fallers it is almost a free combo. If they DI behind you they go straigt up, so in some situations it is like a shine. Also a decent killing move at high %. Use sparingly and don't whiff.

U-tilt- A very important move on all characters. It sets up combo's after a shine easily and against floaties can prolong a combo that otherwise would have ended is a shine was used. On fast fallers it is smart to throw one in every once in while instead of shining. You will force them to DI, setting up for a F-Smash or a shine Bair. All in all a very good move and spammable to an extent. I use this a lot.

Nair- A very good move that will set up opponents into all kind of nastiness. Just landing one at low % will score a shine leading into big damage. A higher % you can juggle floaties with this if you wish and if spotted right a F-Smash. It's pretty safe to jump into a shield with one of these and begin a pillar. Overall one of falco's most important moves.

Fair-A move best used sparingly, I almost see no opportunity where this move should be used in place of any other. At higher% it is good when they're in the air since it has such low knockback, it will set up for another attack. Other than that it is possible to substitute it for a pillar, but not very smart. A move I never use.

Uair-A good move for resetting combos and applying pressure to your opponent. Against fast fallers you can chain these at low %, against floaties this will setup for one more attack. Good move, and used a lot by me.

Dair- Falco's all purpose move. It acts as a spike, negates most moves in the air, and is the main move to prolong combos. This move is good for chasing tech as well. If your afraid of someone attacking you while your still in the air, Dair and their attack will be cancelled. One of Falco's best moves.

F-Smash- One of Falco's killing main killing moves. The lag on this is costly however so don't just throw it out at any time. Try to combo into this move a lot as it does good damage and has great knockback. Be wary if shielded, be prepared to take a defensive stance afterwards. Against Fast fallers, a chain of up tilts will force them to DI or take the damage, follow their DI and use this to send them flying. Near the edge you can use this liberally since even if they shield the knockback will send them off the edge.

D-Smash- A good move but not as good as the F-Smash. For starters it is laggier, does not do as much damage, and doesn't send people as far. The real use of this move is edgegaurding. Against Falco/Fox it is very useful since it will hit them before they can edgetech if placed correctly. Other uses is after a Dair it can be thrown out for a bit more damage.

U-Smash- An underused attack IMO. The knockback of this move is nothing special, but it has combo potential and can net that elusive KO times. Against fast fallers these can be chained depending on DI and are nice setups for F-Smashes. An ok move.

Special Moves

Since we all know the special moves by themselves suck, I will not go into their uses here. Instead I will go over the techniques and uses in the next section

Techniques

The Short Hop Laser

Falco trademark and overall best technique, this is what makes Falco such a beast. It freezes the opponent and keeps constant pressure on them, Which is what you want while playing Falco. There is never a time where just running around blindly attacking is better than approach with the SHL. It is the best approach in the game use it. Look how lasers can control a match http://youtube.com/watch?v=lX4hKxX6cXU Forward controlled the beginning of the match purely from shooting lasers. Whenever possible use the SHL, it can rattle the opponent not ready for the onslaught. thsi is the difference between easy match ups for Falco and impossible ones. The only real way to even gain an advantage on a jiggly or Peach is to spam the laser, forcing them to come to you. Another advantage is no one can really camp a Falco. Except a fox that can perfectly SHDL, but that's like impossible so whatever. :P Using the revershe short hop laser is just as important. It can create space an still give you a aggresive presence while still being defensive.

The Pillar
Falco's main move to pressure besides the SHL. A falco who can do this perfectly is to be feared at all times. I'm not exactly an authority on this move, as I usually lead with a nair, shine, waveshine, waveshine and then maybe dair. The correct way is to dair, shine, dair, shine, continue. The timing for it must be perfect otherwise you'll get grabbed. James Sparrow does the pillar flawlessy from my experience of playing him, if he sees this maybe he can elaborate more.

The Shine

Falco's other trademark, the starter of falco's many combos. It comes out very fast, I think at like 6 frames or something, not sure, but its fast. Any time land with this your mentality should be to finish off the stock. While not always possible, it should be in your thought process of how can you end their stock. It's hard to DI out of on reflex so the first shine should be a gimme. There are so many ways to land one of these it's not funny. The first is a aerial to a shine, easy and effective. Another is shine out of a shield. Done perfectly you will not leave the ground, but just above it is just as good. A very surprising move. Another is to jump into the opponent and shine. While harder to get off the combo, it is a good move to throw out. (More about the shine in the combo section) ;)

Multi shine

A surprising move if you can do it with regularity. It eats shields for lunch, is flashy, and is also somewhat useful. Still, even though I can get it about 85% of the time, I still don't use it a lot. That other 15% can really screw you. I don't have much to say on this about it's uses except as a surprise and flashy. Watch some Dashizwiz vids if you want more insight on this move.

LHDL

The ledge hop double laser is a invaluable move in falco's game. If you can do it perfectly then this should be how you return to the stage. If you do it as soon as you grab the edge you will be safe for a split second due to invincibility, and it makes as great cover when coming back. No one likes a laser to the face, and two is twice as bad. When two hit the opponent is frozen longer, allowing to begin more pressure, and gain an advantage from a bad position.

Combo's

You must start with this mentality whenever you begin a combo. The point of the game is to get the opponent off the stage, that should be in the back of your head at all times when comboing. Sure flashy 90% plus combos look cool in combo vids, but not in a match when you didn't finish it. That is the point of a combo, to finish it and set you up for the taking of a stock. Sometimes it's ok just to combo for damage, namely against a peach. But if your fighting a fox then you have to want to take a stock everytime you land a shine. When you enter the match with this mindset it will ultimately help you and keep you on track. Remembering the point of the game is important.

Against Fast fallers:Fox,Falco,Sheik,Falcon

This is when Your tech skill can shine and you can pen your ears, or feathers back and combo these guys to hell. First however, you should develop or mimic a combo until you comfortable with it. I like the Dair waveshine Dair waveshine Uair Shine Bair. For me it's easy, does good damage, and sets up for the KO. A very versatile combo. A uptilt after the second Dair waveshine set ups for a grab. Falco's grab game is good against fast fallers so you should remember that set up. A simple F-throw off the stage plus a laser equals a prime edgeguarding opp.
Just remember, if you land a shine, fast fallers can be raped.

Against Floaties/middleweights:Marth,Doc,Mario,Puff,Ganon,Luigi,Pikachu,Peach
IC's,GDub

You must be a bit more clever against floaties, since it is much hard to straight up combo them. The name of the game here is tech chasing. Since the comboability of floaties differentiates with each one greatly, you must improve your overall tech chasing skills in these match ups. One dair over 45-50 percent creates opp's to juggle with nair's or another dair and then chase their tech from that. Though not all that flashy, a good way to combo a floaties is repeated u-tilts till about 35%, that works on just about every floaty except puff. The main objective against these characters is since you can't depend on combos for a majority of their deaths, is to spam the SHL and be opportunistic in comboing. Do that and the match will be a lot easier.

Match-ups

Fox
Advantage:Even
Preferred counterpicks:Dreamland 64, FD(arguably) FOD :) (my personal fave)
Strat: will finish soon.
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Kai Force
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n00b
Awesome stuff dude. Really explains alot about Falco's moves. :D
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illboyzeus
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thanks, this is just the beginning though, wait till I start covering match up's. :D
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sparrow
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Shiz's triple shine in the match you posted for SHL is so badass.
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Kyle
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FluxWolf
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Nice job so far Zeus.
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illboyzeus
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more up, later I'll finish my specialty, the combo section :D
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D.Disciple
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I didn't know "The Shine" was a technique. Down-B look at Falco shine! lol.

Now Pillaring, that's a technique that all Falco users should know and learn.
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